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Jagdalpur, April 15, 2025: An important discussion on “Towards Developed Bastar” was organized today at the district headquarters Jagdalpur under the chairmanship of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai.
On this occasion, a detailed roadmap for the overall development of the Bastar region was presented by the Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers Welfare.
Chief Minister Sai said that Bastar has to be included in the mainstream of development. “To take Bastar forward in the direction of development, we have to focus more on farming, especially on the marginal farmers here.”
“Agriculture is the best option for Bastar, local tribes are associated with it and if people work according to their interest, they will also be successful. We have also made additional provision in the budget for the development of agriculture sector,” he said.
He also have emphasis on increasing the cultivation of maize. “It is a crop that is prepared at low cost and gives more profit. The climate of Bastar is very favourable for maize. Along with this, there is a lot of scope for millets production here, we have to work specially on its cultivation,” Sai added.
Bastar is not just a geographical area, it is a confluence of culture, tradition, struggle and possibilities, Sai said. There are immense possibilities of development in the Bastar region, which can be realized with strong policy, transparent administration and public participation, he added.
The Chief Minister said that the priority of the state government is to make Bastar self-reliant and prosperous in every respect.
He said that Naxalism has been like a stigma for the state. With the cooperation of the central government, a decisive battle is being fought to end it. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has resolved to eradicate Naxalism from the country by March 31, 2026 and Chhattisgarh is playing a leading role in achieving this goal, Sai said.
The Chief Minister also said that Naxalism is not only a security challenge, but it is the result of lack of development. Therefore, it is necessary that we connect every village and every person of Bastar with the mainstream of development and provide them adequate opportunities.
Presenting the roadmap for the development of the agriculture sector in the discussion, Agriculture Production Commissioner Shehla Nigar said that to strengthen the agriculture-based economy of Bastar, special emphasis is being laid on crop diversification, organic farming, expansion of irrigation facilities, agricultural mechanization, access to crop loans and value addition of agricultural products.
Nigar said that there are currently 2.98 lakh active farmer families in the Bastar division, out of which 2.75 lakh have received the benefit of the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. Rs 64.77 crore has been paid as the 19th installment of the scheme. The remaining eligible families are also being verified and linked to the scheme.
She said that 7 Krishi Vigyan Kendras, 4 Agriculture Colleges, 2 Horticulture Colleges, 1 Veterinary Polytechnic College and one Farmer Training Center are operating in Bastar. Apart from this, 29 garden nurseries, 9 government fisheries, one poultry farm and one government pig rearing center are also functioning. KCC coverage has reached 86 per cent at present and the target is to issue 1.25 lakh new KCCs in the next three years.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, Forest Minister Kedar Kashyap, Bastar MP Mahesh Kashyap, BJP State President and Jagdalpur MLA Kiran Singh Dev, Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Subodh Kumar Singh, Secretary to Chief Minister Rahul Bhagat, Secretaries of concerned departments, Collectors of all districts of Bastar Division, farmers of Bastar Division, local dignitaries associated with agriculture industry were present in the discussion.
On this occasion, farmers, traders, representatives of agriculture related organizations also expressed their views.
